Fans of morbid celebrity memorabilia have a chance to own underwear worn by assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
A pair of Kennedy’s longjohns, stained with what appears to be blood, is available for sale on eBay, listed for a staggering $1 million. The listing claims the blood stains on the garment, particularly near the ankle, may contain traces of the late president’s DNA. The extensively worn and torn men’s undies were once auctioned in 1998 to memorabilia dealer Richard Wilson, and a Certificate of Authenticity accompanies the sale.
The seller explained, “When we bought these over two decades ago, we had made a few pictures of the underwear and then had them stored in a secure vault for nearly twenty years,” adding, “No one told us about the stains, nor did we notice them. Not until now.”
Discovery of the bloodstains led the seller to consult forensic experts, speculating that “the locus of the injury was on the lower shin area, just above the ankle.” They believe Kennedy may have been unaware of the injury as he stood or moved. It does not appear that he was wearing the garment at the time of his November 22nd, 1963 assassination.
“It is felt that the President, perhaps in a passionate mode, was not aware of the primary injury, that he might have been preoccupied, and only later discovered the secondary blood, which he tried to remove,” the description reads.
A small square of fabric from the longjohns was once used to construct a limited-edition collectible doll called “John-John.” The seller hopes the longjohns, described as a “relic” with “a great deal of additional provenance because of what we did with them,” will find “a good home.” Additionally, it is believed that Jackie Kennedy reportedly used the longjohns to transport valuable items from their 1953 wedding to an antique dealer in Washington, D.C.
The listing first appeared in August 2024. Since then, the seller has stated they would let them go for a best offer lower than the $1 million requested.
